Peters



(No Model.)

W. W. REYNOLDS.

SCALE BEAM.

' No. 383,912. Patented June 5, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OErIcE.

\VI'LLIAM XV. REYJOLDS, OF RUTLAND, VERMONT.

SCALE-BEAM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 383,912, dated June 5, 1888.

Application filed July 27, 1887. Serial No. 245,101. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM W. REYNOLDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rutland, county of ltutlandnind State ofVermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scale-Beams, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings formin a part of the same.

This invention relates to a beam for scales which is adapted to indicate the weight in a plurality of different units, the beam being especially adapted for use upon scales which are designed for weighing different kinds of produce where the number of pounds to a bushel varies with the character of the producc.

As aiull understanding of theimprovements constituting the invention can only be given by an illustration and a detailed description ofa beam embodyin the same, all preliminary description will be omitted and a full description given, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is a plan view of a scalebcam and its poise embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a eross'scction taken upon thelineS 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. i is a similar view taken upon the line 4 t of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section taken upon the line 5 of the same figure.

Referring to said figures, it is to be under-= stood that the beam proper consists of two parallel bars, A, which are rigidly connected to gether at their front and rear ends by crosspieces a, and from the outer sides of which project the usual fulcrum-pivots Z) and load pivots 0. Located. between the bars A. composing the heam is a revolving bar, B, which is journaled its ends in the crosspieces a, so as to turn freely. In order to prevent the bar B from being unduly heavy, it is preferaby made of the skeleton i'orm illustratedthat is to say, it consists of a number (live, as shown in the present case) of longitudinal blades or light bars, 5, of steel or other hard metal, between which are arranged thin plates 6 of brass or other soft metal, the whole being of the polygonal form in erossseetion which is shown in Fig. 8; or in forming the bar B the blades 5 may be omitted, the plates 6 being allowed to meet at their edges.

In ordcrto prevent any slight end wise move ment of the bar B, which would tend to destroy the accuracy of the scale, the outer end of the beamis provided with a spring, (I, having a pin, 4, which is pressed inward against the journal of the bar, so as to always hold the bar pressed inward to its extreme positien,and thus prevent it from shifting slightly during the operation of weighing. he outer end of the bar is provided with a disk, 7, having a number of openings, 3, corresponding to the blades 5, and the cross piece a is provided with a lockingpiu, S, which is adapted to enter the openings 3, so as to lock the bar B in any position to which it is turned. The pin Spasses through a slotin the end of the spring d, and is provided with a collar upon which the spring (Z acts, so as to normallyhold the pin in its innermost position. The pin, however, is provided with a handle, 9, by which itcan be withdrawn, so as to permit the bar 13 to be revolved when it is desired to change its posi-V tion. The cross-piece a is also provided with a stop, 2, which operates to limit the movement of the spring (7, so as to prevent the pin 8 from being entirely withdrawn. The plates 6 are provided with graduationsf, arranged to indicate the weight in difiercnt standardsas, for example, in pounds and in bushelsconsisting of ditierent numbers of pounds-for example, bushels consisting of sixty pounds for wheat, thirtytwo pounds for cats, &c.

The poise (l is arranged to slide upon the bars A composing the beam, as indicated in Fig. 3, and is provided with an opening through which the revolving bar 13 passes. For this purpose the poise is prelerablymade of two parts, as also indicated in Fig. 3, which will permit the parts to be more readily assembled. The poise is provided upon its upper sidewith a spring-catch, g, the end of which is formed to engage with notches formed in the edges of the blades 5, thereby preventing the poise from being shifted after it has been adjusted to the proper position to indicate the weight. The spring-catch g and the notches upon the bar B in some cases can be omitted, and in place of the catch the poise may be provided cate the weight from zero up to the amount of one or more of the subdivisions of the graduations of the main beam. The beam is also provided witha balancing-weight, G, arranged in substantially the usual manner to be shifted to balance the scale.

In scales of this class where the whole capacity of the scale is indicated upon the beam the counterpoise or poises must, of course, be comparatively heavy, and in order to avoid weighting the inner end of the beam to counterbalance the considerable weight of the poise or poises it is desirable that the beam should be so constructed as to permit-the poise or poises to move to the rear of the fulcrum-pivots. It is also necessary, particularly where the poise is thus heavy, that its center of gravity should be in or substantially in the same horizontal plane with the fulcrum-pivots, and it is therefore undesirable that the poise should be located in a plane above or below the fulcrum pivots. By making the beam of the two parallel bars 0, and providing the poise with an opening through which the revolving bar B passes, both ofthese difliculties are avoided, as this construction permits the poise O to move between the fulcrum-pivots and pass to the rear, and also permits it to be located so that its center of grav- .ity will be in or substantially in the same hori zontal plane as those pivots, thus avoiding the necessity ofweighting the rear end of the beam to counterbalance the poise, and also obviating the liability of inaccuracyin the weighing, which would be occasioned if the poise passed to the rear by moving above or below the fulcrum-pivots.

What I claim is- 1. The combination, with the beam A, extending to the rear of the fulcrum-pivots, and the sliding poise 0, supported upon said beam and arranged to move to the rear of said pivots, of the revolving bar B, arranged adjacent to the beam, and having a plurality of graduations and extending from the front end of the beam to the rear of the fulcrum-pivots, substantially as described. v

2. The combination, with the beam A, carrying the sliding poise, of the revolving bar B, composed of a plurality of notched blades, 5, and a plurality of plates, 6, each having a graduation, and the sliding poise O, resting and sliding upon the beam A, and having a catch to engage with the notches upon the blades 5, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the beam A, composed of the two parallel bars rigidly connected together and provided upon their outsides with the fulcrum and load pivots, of the revolving bar 13, journaled between said parallel bars and extending from the front end of the beam between and to the rear of the fulcrum-pivots, and having a plurality of gradnations, f, and the sliding poise supported upon said parallel bars and arranged to be moved to the rear of the fulcrum-pivots, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the beam A, composed of the two parallel bars rigidly connected together and provided upon their outsides with the fulcrum-pivots b and load-pivots c, of the revolving bar having a plurality of blades,5, of hard metal, and plates 6, of soft metal, and extending between and past the fulcrum-pivots to the rear thereof, and the poise 0, arranged to slide upon the parallel bars of the beam A, and having an opening for the passage of the revolving bar B, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WM. W. REYNOLDS.

\Vilnesses:

J OHN W. NORTON, JOHN S. PIERCE. 

